“Some water?” I turn back to Olivia and wet a washcloth to dab on her forehead.
The sound of her vomiting fills the tiny room, the sickly stench making me gag. I have to turn away.
“Do you want me to leave?” Caiden asks quietly when my dad disappears down the hall.
“Depends.” I walk out of the bathroom, leaving the door open in case she needs me. “Are you going to go skulk in my bushes if you do?”
He lowers his voice even more. “You know I can’t leave you alone.”
“So you’re planning on sleeping in my front yard?”
His silence is all the answer I need.
“Caiden, you’re not staying out there all night; it’s freezing.”
“I can’t–”
“Leave me alone, I know. I’ll get you some blankets; you can crash on the couch.”
My dad emerges from the kitchen carrying a few bottles of cold water.
“Thanks,” I say, taking the water from him.
He peers into the bathroom at Olivia. She’s now leaning against the wall looking miserable.
“Is she going to be alright? Should I call someone? Maybe we should bring her to the hospital–”
“Ima fine. No hospital. Wanna sleep.” Her eyes slit open to peer at us.
“Really dad, she’s fine. She’s coherent. Sitting up on her own and everything. After some water and some sleep, she’ll be peachy.”
He looks at her uncertainly, but finally nods his head.
“Come on, Liv. Let’s get you to bed.” I try to help her stand up, but she doesn’t let me.
“Leave me alone. Go to sleep,” she slurs, curling up on the cold bathroom floor. I get my arm around her back and slightly lean her up so I can pour some water down her throat. She grumbles again, but drinks half a bottle before I let her lay back down.
“She’ll be fine down here.” I tell my dad. “Once she falls asleep, there’s no moving her. I’ll go grab some towels for her to lie on.” I turn to see my father studying Caiden.
“Have we met?” He asks Caiden, puzzled.
“Caiden, my dad Jack. Dad, Caiden,” I introduce them quickly.
They shake hands and my father gives me a suspicious look. “Are you two dating?”
“No–”
“Yes,” Caiden says at the same time.
My dad looks back and forth between us. Caiden raises his eyebrows meaningfully at me and I sigh, recalling Caroline’s instructions.
“Well, kind of,” I amend.
“I guess you and Sebastian didn’t work it out then?” He sounds sympathetic.
It’s weird to be having this conversation. My dad and I, as a rule, don’t talk about our feelings or personal lives.
“No, we didn’t.” My voice shakes just the tiniest bit. I change the subject, not wanting to dwell on what I saw with Kayla and Sebastian tonight. “Do you mind if Caiden crashes on the couch?”
He eyes Caiden again, thinking it over. “I expect you to stay on the couch. No sneaking upstairs at two am when you think I’m asleep, understood?”
“Yes, sir. I appreciate this.”
“Come on then, I’ll get you some blankets.”
In spite of the heavy feeling in my chest, I smile just a little to hear my dad reading Caiden the riot act, as if he’d ever have to worry about Caiden sneaking into my room. We may be on our way to becoming friends, or at least we don’t want to kill each other every time we’re together, but Caiden’s made it perfectly clear he doesn’t have any romantic feelings for me. And I don’t have any for him, I remind myself.
As I’m rummaging through the upstairs linen closet for our crappy towels, my dad walks up behind me.
“Hey Emerson, can I talk to you for a minute?” I halt my search to glance at him.
“Yeah?” I say warily. Is he upset about me bringing Olivia back here?
“I just wanted to tell you that I’m proud of you.”
“What?” This isn't what I expected.
“I’m proud of you. For not overindulging, like your friend.” He gestures toward the stairs. “Not too long ago, you would have come home in the same state as her. I know these last years have been hard on you. They’ve been hard on both of us... I’m just glad to see that you aren’t letting it get the best of you anymore. That’s all.”
He turns to leave, but stops with his back still toward me, glancing at me over his shoulder.
“Oh, and for the record, I like Caiden. He’s a good guy. But I expect you to sleep up here in your room, not down there with him. I’m a light sleeper. I’ll know if you go downstairs.”
I give him a small smile. Light sleeper? With the number of times Olivia and I snuck in completely trashed? Yeah, right.
But then again, after what he just said, I have to wonder whether he really did know about all of those times and he just never said anything. Maybe he didn’t know what to say.
I grab a stack of ugly peach towels and carry them back downstairs. Olivia’s lying on her side, snoring lightly, so I arrange them under her head and drape a few on top of her. Nothing more I can do. At least she’ll have something soft to sleep on.
Then I head to the living room to make sure Caiden has everything he needs. Who knew I’d be hosting a slumber party tonight?
I walk in just as he takes off his shirt, and I freeze.
His back is to me, and what a back it is. I never realized just how well defined his muscles are. He’s not as big as Sebastian — few guys are — but his body is more elegant. Better proportioned. His muscles are longer, leaner.
He turns to face me, and my ridiculous thoughts fly right out of my head. The front is even better. My mouth dries up. He looks surprised to see me standing here, ogling him, and I have to say, I’m pretty shocked by it too.
Trying to ignore the smooth planes of his chest, his well-defined abs, I stare determinedly into his eyes.
“Do you have everything you need? Pillows, blankets...” A shirt?
“I’m alright, thanks.”
We stand there looking at each other for a few moments, neither of us speaking. Finally, I break the silence.
“I feel like I’m constantly thanking you... but, well, thanks again. For coming with me tonight. I wouldn’t have been able to haul her out of there on my own.”
I think about Dan charging at me. What would have happened if Caiden wasn’t with me?
His face evens out to that blank expression I hate so much. Despite everything that’s happened tonight, he persists in maintaining this careful distance between us. Is he still upset about the lust spell he put on me earlier? Did I freak him out too badly when I came onto him?
“There’s no need to thank me,” he answers evenly. “It’s my job to keep an eye on you.”
His job? He makes it sound like I’m a child he’s babysitting. His words leave a sour taste in my mouth.
“Yeah, well, goodnight,” I say coldly, stalking out of the room.
Chapter 5
I wake early the next morning and head downstairs to see how Olivia is doing. As I pass the kitchen, I’m surprised to see Caiden and Olivia sitting side by side at the breakfast bar, two steaming mugs in front of them.
Olivia looks like death warmed over. There are dark bags under her eyes, and her usually shiny copper hair hangs limp around her shoulders. She’s hunched in on herself, staring down into her tea.
“How’re you feeling?” I ask, sitting down across from her.
“I’ve been better.” She keeps her face averted. Caiden moves over to the coffee maker and pours me a cup. I look at him gratefully.
“Sugar and milk?” He asks, nonchalantly, showing none of the awkwardness I feel at having him waking up in my living room and making me coffee.
“Yeah, thanks.” I meet his eyes, flustered.
He hands me my mug and takes his seat next to Olivia again. When I glance back to her, she’s scrutinizing us.
“So it’s true then? I didn’t believe it when he told me
. You’re actually dating him?”
Caught off guard, I glare at Caiden. Did he have to tell her that now, while she’s hung over?
“Yes,” he answers her, ignoring my look. “But as I said, we didn’t get together until after Sebastian broke up with her. She wasn’t lying to you.”
“Oh, so she wasn’t lying when she told me she had no interest in you, huh? When she told me she wasn’t attracted to you at all?”
Caiden’s mouth thins into a grim line.
“No, I wasn’t lying,” I say firmly, trying to defuse the hostility in her voice. “When I was with Seb, I had no interest in Caiden that way. We were just friends. But Seb dumped me, if you remember, so I decided to give Caiden a chance.” I shrug my shoulders like it’s no big deal. “Maybe if you’d have answered your phone one of the hundreds of times I called you, I could have told you that.”
She stares into her cup, not answering. I have no idea why she’s so upset over this. I know she and Seb are friends and everything, but with the way he’s been treating me I would have expected her to back me up just a little.
My gut twists as I flash back to the sight of Sebastian and Kayla at the party last night. But then I remember Dan holding Olivia down, her tear streaked face, her hands pinned to the bed, and all the other stuff seems trivial.
“Look Olivia, we need to talk about what happened last night.”
“What about it? I got drunk. No big deal,” she says stubbornly, her chin jutting out.
“Liv, Dan tried to rape you...”
“No, he didn’t.” She keeps her eyes downcast.
“Yes, he did.”
“Nothing happened.” She snaps. “I don’t want to talk about this.”
“I was there, Liv! So was Caiden! He had you pinned down! You need to go to the police. Press charges.”
Olivia stares into her cup, closing her eyes briefly. “I can’t go to the police.” She picks her head back up and glares at me. Her face hardens, eyes like flint. “Nothing happened. I’m fine.”
“Yeah, you’re fine because me and Caiden were there to stop him! But what about the next girl he tries that with? Are you really going to let him get away with hurting you? Are you going to just let him go and rape someone else?”
“Nothing happened!” She yells, her cool façade finally breaking. “He’ll pay for being a prick, I’ll make sure of it, but there’s nothing to report! I’m not going to the cops.”
“You have to, Olivia–”
“Don’t you tell me what I have to do! This doesn’t have anything to do with you!” She jumps up from her seat and starts putting on her jacket.
“I just don’t get you, Emerson. Lately it’s like you’re not even you anymore. I know you’ve been lying to me. Something is up and you won’t talk to me about it. And even worse, Caiden, of all people, is in on it, but you don’t trust me enough to tell me! Friends don’t lie to each other. I know you two aren’t really dating; you’d never choose him over Sebastian!”
She marches to the door and turns back to look at us, one hand on the handle. “I don’t know what you two are hiding, but I’m going to figure it out.”
“You’re welcome for saving your ass last night, by the way!” I lash out. I’m answered by the slamming door.
* * *
Despite all the drama this morning, Caiden still insists on training, so I go up to my room to get ready. I feel weird showering while Caiden’s downstairs wandering around my house. I get dressed as fast as I can, pulling my black hair into a messy bun and only applying the bare minimum of makeup. Who do I need to impress? I’ll probably be stuck inside his shed all day.
I go downstairs to see him looking through a photo album on the living room table. He puts it away when I enter. He’s still in his wrinkled t-shirt and jeans from yesterday, his dark hair rumpled.
“Ready to go?”
“Sure, a whole Saturday spent blowing things up in your shed. It’s gonna be a blast.”
He doesn’t smile at my pun, just leads the way out to his beat up Toyota.
When we walk into his house, he goes off to take a shower, leaving me to entertain myself in his living room. I look around, taking in my surroundings.
The couch is red and faded with a battered coffee table in front of it. The walls are bare, and it strikes me as odd that there are no pictures or photos anywhere. I search under the coffee table, thinking there might be an album of family pictures or school photos, but all I find are outdated People magazines.
With nothing else to do, I pick up a magazine and begin to flip through it. I jump when I hear keys jingle at the front door and a tall woman with wavy hair walks in.
I recognize her from Friday night; I think her name is Charlotte. She’s wearing black pants and a light green polo shirt with “Rainbow Diner” stitched on the upper right hand side. Her eyes widen in surprise at finding me inside her home.
“Oh,” she gasps. “I didn’t realize you and Caiden would be here today.”
Her eyes are the same bright green as Caiden’s, but that’s where the similarities end. She’s extremely thin, almost anorexic looking, and her hair is a dull brown compared to Caiden’s rich chocolate shade. Caiden always seems so cool and collected, but Charlotte’s eyes dart around nervously, like she expects someone to jump on her at any second.
“You must be Caiden’s mom. I’m Emerson,” I say, holding out my hand to her.
“I know who you are.” She looks at my hand but doesn’t take it. “We met yesterday.”
I drop my hand, unsure of what to say. With a mumbled “excuse me,” she hurries past me, down the hallway, and into one of the rooms.
Well, that was awkward. She doesn’t exactly seem thrilled to have me in her house.
I leave the living room and sit in the kitchen to wait for Caiden. After a few minutes, she comes out of her room and walks into the kitchen too. Catching sight of me, she stumbles before recovering herself.
I watch her curiously. Why is she so scared?
She hustles over to the fridge and takes out some cold cuts and a loaf of bread to make a sandwich. She looks to be in her mid-thirties, but her face is harshly lined. There are crow’s feet in the corners of her eyes and deep crevices around her mouth. She’s definitely strung out, jumping at the slightest noise.
“Caiden’s just getting ready,” I say, trying to put her at ease. Her pupils dilate slightly when I mention Caiden.
“Oh, well...” she mumbles, hurrying to put the bread and meat away. “I’m just grabbing something to eat on my lunch break, I won’t be here long.”
She takes a seat across from me to eat, keeping her eyes lowered. The silence drags out.
“So how long have you and Caiden lived here?” I ask, trying to make small talk.
She flinches at the sound of my voice. “We moved here almost ten years ago.”
“Have you been with Caroline’s coven the whole time?”
“Yes, my husband and I both joined when we first moved in.”
“Caiden’s father?” I ask, surprised.
Her eyes soften. “Yes. But he left shortly after...”
“I’m sorry,” I say. “That must have been difficult.”
“It was.” She stares off across the room. “Caiden was so young. If Jason hadn’t left, maybe Caiden would have turned out differently...”
I raise my eyebrows, surprised at the disapproval in her voice. “Well, having your dad leave would be tough on any kid. It seems like Caiden’s handled it pretty well. He’s been great, helping me out and everything.” Although I try to sound neutral, I’m not quite able to hide the irritation in my voice.
She flinches, her eyes blinking back into focus. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to...” She looks shaken as she jumps up and takes her plate to the sink.
“So, you work at the Rainbow Diner?” I ask, feeling guilty. She looks ready to flee her own house to get away from me.
“What? Oh, yes.” She places a hand over her name badge.<
br />
“My dad and I went there last year for Thanksgiving.” I smile as I remember that night. “He wanted to cook a real Thanksgiving dinner that year instead of ordering in like we normally do. He ended up burning the turkey and setting off the smoke detectors.”
Charlotte smiles, her stiff shoulders thawing a bit.
“He’s a terrible cook,” I continue, smiling myself. “I don’t know why he tried cooking a turkey on his own.” I shake my head.
She smiles again, but it falls away as Caiden walks in. She abruptly looks terrified again. She scurries over to the sink with her dishes.
Caiden watches her, expressionless.
Charlotte quickly cleans her plate and places it in the drying rack. “Well, I need to get back to work.” She turns and practically sprints out of the house.
“Um...” I say, glancing at him dumbfounded. “Your mom is really... nice...”
He stares grimly at her retreating back. “Sorry about her. She’s had a rough few years.”
I remember Caiden telling me about her abusive boyfriend and what Caiden did to him three years ago. Maybe it’s not me she’s scared of.
Glancing at Caiden, I take in his still damp hair, dark green hoody, and the worn black book bag he’s carrying over one shoulder. He watches the front door for a few seconds after his mom leaves, and then turns back to me, his eyes still carefully blank.
“Ready to go?”
“Where? The shed again?”
“No, I thought we’d try something different today. Come on.”
Chapter 6
He leads the way out the back door and crosses the yard, dried leaves crunching underfoot. The wind picks up and I’m glad I thought to wear a sweater. His yard, like most of the houses around here, has a large stretch of forest behind it.
Being mid-October, the trees are at their autumnal peak. This is the time of year I’ve always loved best; the brilliant oranges, scorching reds, and flashy yellows. Caiden sets a relentless pace through the multicolored forest, forcing me to practically jog to keep up.
He doesn’t follow a trail, at least not one that I can see. He moves easily through the woods, comfortable here, unlike me; I keep getting caught on sticker bushes and tripping over roots and fallen branches. But nobody’s ever accused me of being the outdoorsy type.
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